Agenda and minutes

Councillor Simon Killane sought nominations for the position of Chairman of the Malmesbury Area Board for the 2011/12 forthcoming year.

Decision

Councillor John Thomson was elected Chairman of the Malmesbury Area Board for the 2011/12 forthcoming year.

Councillor Thomson in the Chair.

Councillor Thomson sought nominations for the position of Vice Chairman of the Malmesbury Area Board for the 2011/12 forthcoming year.

Decision

Councillor Simon Killane was elected Vice Chairman of the Malmesbury Area Board for the 2011/12 forthcoming year.

The appointments to outside bodies which were made by the Board last year would continue for 2011/12.

Activity Zone Leisure Centre Advisory Committee – Councillor Killane

Malmesbury Community Trust – Councillor Soden and Councillor Thomson

Malmesbury Youth Issues Group (CAYPIG) – Councillor Killane and Councillor Thomson.

The Chairman welcomed everyone to Malmesbury Area Board and introduced the Councillors and Officers present. This included a formal welcome to Chloe Harris-Alba, who would represent young people in the Community Area on the Area Board. The Chairman explained that Malmesbury Area Board recognised young people were rarely represented at its meetings and took the positive step of inviting Chloe to be part of the team.

Chloe is a student at Malmesbury School and is currently on the UK Youth Parliament (UKYP) and the Wiltshire Assembly of Youth for Malmesbury and Sherston North.

Apologies were received from Paul Baker (Chamber of Commerce), Ellen Blacker (Dauntsey Parish Council), Joanna Brackley (Crudwell Pre-School),

Elaine Godley, Sid Jevons (Malmesbury and the Villages Community Area Partnership), John Parmiter (Lea and Cleverton Parish Council), Tony Pooley (Little Somerford Parish Council), Mark Smith (Service Director for Neighbourhood Services), Jacqui White (Wiltshire Council) and Mark Wilkins (Charlton Parish Council).

The minutes of the meeting held on 4 May 2011 were approved and signed as a correct record.

Councillor Sturgis declared a prejudicial interest in the grant application regarding the Fosse Way at Whitewalls, Easton Grey, as a friend of the landowner. He did not speak or vote on this application.

The Chairman drew attention to the written announcements included in the agenda pack. Information was provided about Wiltshire Council’s Older People Accommodation Development Strategy. In Malmesbury, the Burnham House site was currently vacant due to completion of the Athelstan House nursing home in 2008. The site would be developed to provide a 50 unit extra care scheme as part of the joint development framework agreement. It was anticipated that work on the site would commence in April 2012 and be completed by October 2013. If you would like further information, please contact Karen Jones on 07990 611569 or karen.jones@wiltshire.gov.uk .

The Chairman noted that a list of improvements to bus stops in the Malmesbury Community Area had also been provided in the agenda pack.

A response regarding the impact the revised regulations for PAYE would have on Parish Council and Community Council Clerks, as requested by the Leader of the Council, had been received from the Chancellor of the Exchequer. Please find information attached to the minutes.

The Chairman noted the written updates from partners included with the agenda pack. He invited partners to speak if they had further information for the meeting.

a)    The written update from Wiltshire Police was noted. Sergeant Martin Alvis added that the main increase in crime was in theft from non- dwelling properties, for example sheds. Scrap metal and quad bikes were particular targets for thieves. Please remember to secure your belongings carefully and install lighting where appropriate. If you notice any suspicious behaviour, please take the registration of the vehicle concerned and report it to Wiltshire Police to investigate.

b)    The written update from Wiltshire Fire and Rescue Service was noted. Mike Franklin circulated a more recent update at the meeting, please find attached to the minutes.

c)    The written update from NHS Wiltshire was noted. Please find a more recent update attached to the minutes. 

d)    The written update from Malmesbury and the Villages Community Area Partnership (M&VCAP) was noted. Sid Jevons commented that the turn off the lights project had been a great success. A new project had been introduced to put together several local walks. The first minuted meeting of the community hub group had taken place and the group were meeting with the YMCA group to explore common ground. Volunteer drivers were still required for a cinema bus, with the aim to launch officially in October.

e)    The written update from Sherston Old School was noted. Having secured £700,000, work for the first phase of building work would commence in early July.

Councillor Killane then gave a short update on the Post Office closure. The meeting was informed that due to declining post volumes (by about 25%), poor business results and the need to improve efficiency around the business, Malmesbury sorting office was to be closed in Spring 2012, whilst inadequate and potentially unsafe offices also contributed to the closure. It was proposed that the staff and the work would move to a new facility in Wootton Bassett. There would be no redundancies made and the management felt that there would be no discernible change in the level and standard of services.

Chloe Harris-Alba explained that she was involved in developing a lesson plan about extremism and terrorism. The Chairman commented that once this had been tested in schools, there was potential for the information to be made available to the wider public.

Adrian Hampton, Head of Local Highways and Streetscene, set out the highways work completed last year and the plans for major schemes in the Community Area in 2011/12. Work was scheduled to resurface the High Street in October for 15 days. It would take place between 6.00 pm and midnight, but not at weekends. Information on all work was available from the Wiltshire Council website via the link below:

http://www.wiltshire.gov.uk/area-board-highway-info-malmesbury.pdf.  

This was followed by a short question and answer session, which covered the following main points:

·         Repairs to the High Street and Abbey Row had already been carried out in recent times. Adrian Hampton assured the meeting that the work had been completed to the highest possible standard.

·         The road from the water tower into the town was in need of improvement and was a very poor route for cyclists – this was not on the list of highways work for this year, however priorities would be assessed again next year.

·         Concern was expressed regarding disruption to the roads by utility companies – utility companies had a right to access the roads to make repairs. If there was a subsequent failure and it was the contractor’s fault, the contractor was liable to repair the road at their own expense.

·         It was requested that on behalf of Malmesbury traders, road works in November and December were avoided where possible.

·         Potholes were an issue in the local area – roads were inspected and potholes mapped in order to aid the prioritisation of roads. The public should report potholes to Clarence on 0800 232323.  

·         Pavements were assessed in the same manner as roads in order to prioritise the work that would be carried out.

The Chairman introduced Peter Harris, Martin Rose and Councillor Tonge. He commented that he appreciated that some members of the community have had to wait a long time for a response to their community issue, however in some cases the issue had required further consultation and research or policy reviews from Wiltshire Council. The Area Board welcomed community issues and was pleased to work with partners and the community to try to find solutions.

Peter Harris, Principal Engineer Special Projects, provided information about residential parking schemes (priority parking on the highway). If the town wanted residential parking schemes to be considered, it was the responsibility of the Town Council to first identify suitable places for them. There was a need for substantial ground work to be completed by local people in conjunction with officer support. Councillor Tonge advised that the Parking Strategy appended to the Local Transport Plan was consulted regarding the process. The Town Council were holding an open meeting to discuss car parking on July 12.

With regards to Hudson Road, the request to convert a grass area into residents overspill parking could be costly and problematic due to the land being a former church yard. Any costs would fall to the Town Council and/or the Residents’ Association. 

Decision

Councillor Killane would take forward the issue of overspill parking at Hudson Road with the Town Council.

Decision

Malmesbury Town Council and the Residents’ Association undertake survey work and analysis to identify local interest in residents parking schemes, with guidance provided by Wiltshire Council.

Martin Rose, Principal Highway Engineer, then spoke about the speed bumps in the town centre. He thanked the Town Council and Malmesbury and the Villages Community Area Partnership for their survey. He explained there had been a marked reduction in personal injury collision figures since the 20 mph zone and speed cushions were formally introduced in March 2000. In person he had observed the cushions and noted that problems were caused by drivers noticing the grey cushions at a late stage and then traversing them ‘off centre’.

The recommendations from the survey were then considered by the meeting. Martin Rose also put forward some other options:

·         Remove the 20 mph zone and traffic calming and introduce a 20 mph ‘sign only’ limit.

·         All angular cushions to be removed and replaced with humps with a flat profile extending across the full width of the road.

And then went on to recommend the following which would involve:

·         Carriageway resurfacing adjacent to the cushions.

·         Provision of solid white lines around the perimeter of the cushions and additional triangular markings on the cushions.

There was a show of hands within the room and 44 people voted for the decision below and 3 for the removal of the speed bumps.

Decision

In light of the personal injury collision data, speed bumps in Malmesbury town centre would be maintained and improvements made.

Councillor Tonge, Cabinet Representative for Highways and Transport, then responded to a range of community issues. Free  ...  view the full minutes text for item 11.

Information was provided about the Queen Elizabeth II Fields Challenge. The Challenge was co-ordinated by ‘Fields In Trust’ and part of the Jubilee celebrations. It was about preserving fields and open space and Parish and Town Councils had been asked to nominate suitable spaces. Further information was available from the website: www.qe2fields.com.

Malmesbury Area Board had been asked to nominate two from the five areas of land that Wiltshire Council owns, to put forward to the Challenge.

Decision

Malmesbury Area Board would put forward the Dauntsey Playing Field and White Lion Park in Malmesbury for the Queen Elizabeth II Fields Challenge, with the agreement of Malmesbury Town Council and Dauntsey Parish Council. 

The Chairman added this was only the first stage in the process. Once all nominations had been received, all nominations would be placed on the ‘Fields in Trust’ website and people will be invited to vote. The winning nominations would be protected and designated a Queen Elizabeth II Field.

Adrian Hampton provided information about the Easton Grey Roman Site/Fosse Way. The site was a significant scheduled monument and English Heritage had funded display stands for education. Irresponsible drivers were causing significant damage to the site. A Traffic Regulation Order would commence on 4 July 2011. The order confined all motorised use to the designated track and concrete barriers and a bridle gate would be installed at the southern end of the track at Foxley. 

The Community Area Manager drew attention to the summary of current community issues that had been included in the agenda pack and the Area Board agreed those to be closed. Please note the full log of community issues is available to view online at: http://portal.wiltshire.gov.uk/area_board/areaboard_issues_search.php?issue_location_in=Malmesbury 

Decision

The Area Board would close the following issues:

Issues 1551 and 1553 related to perceived speeding and accidents on the B4040 from the Red Bull into Malmesbury. There was currently no evidence that this stretch of road was a cluster accident site. The recent Speed Limit Review retained the speed at 50 mph. The Area Board endorsed the recommendation of the Malmesbury Community Area Transport Group (CATG) on 19 January 2011, not to consider a footpath along this stretch of road, it being unrealistic in respect of cost and usage.

Issues 1491 and 1498 related to dog fouling in Gloucester Road, Malmesbury and near Dauntsey Primary School.  In both cases the dog warden had visited the site and notices had been checked and/or refreshed. Patrolling would continue on an ad hoc basis.

Decision

Officers had inspected the stretch of road related to issue 1494, the condition of the B4040 from the water tower to the Spice Merchant, Malmesbury, and considered it was not a priority for repair in 2011/12, as it was considered safe. It would be retained on the highways list and the road condition monitored. Councillor Killane would also walk the route with an Officer from the highways department to confirm. 

Decision

The Area Board would refer a further issue (issue 1613 related to pedestrian safety in Sherston High Street) to the Community Area Transport Group.

An update on the Community Area Transport Group (CATG) was then provided from the two CATG meetings held since they last reported to the Area Board on 19 January 2011. The Area Board were asked to note the CATG budget for 2011/12 and other available funding and then invited to consider the progress and approve recommendations from the group.

Decision

The Area Board would allocate a further £747 to the Tetbury Lane scheme towards refreshing Playground, Slow and Crudwell signs to satisfy the needs identified at this site.

Decision

The Area Board would allocate £4,000 towards the installation of some minor re-paving and curbing work and installation of a more visible Give Way sign on the High Road, Ashton Keynes near the school.

Decision

The Area Board would allocate £4,160 to extend the 40mph speed limit on the B4696 North End Crossroads, Ashton Keynes (deferred on 19 January 2011 pending a site visit).

Decision

The Area Board would allocate £1,000 to undertake a pedestrian count and a full assessment on Tetbury Hill near the Filands estate to inform future decisions about the need for a substantive scheme.

Decision

The Area Board would allocate a further £1,600 to accommodate higher costs than originally anticipated and to enable extending the white- lining at the zebra crossing on A429 near the Primary Health Care Centre Malmesbury,  ...  view the full minutes text for item 14.

Consideration was given to the three applications made to the Community Area Grants Scheme.

Decision

Malmesbury Kite Festival Group were awarded £500 towards the 2011 kite festival.

Reason

The application meets the 2011/12 grant criteria and it addresses issues in the Malmesbury and Villages Community Area Plan.

Decision

Crudwell Pre-School were awarded £1,890 towards the provision of an outdoor sensory play area.

Reason

The application meets the 2011/12 grant criteria and demonstrates strong links to the Malmesbury and Villages Community Area Plan.

Decision

£4,386 was awarded towards the installation of gates and purchase and installation of barriers and fencing to prevent further destruction of the Roman settlement as an Area Board/Councillor led initiative.

Reason

The project would restore the damage that had been caused to this nationally important heritage site by use by off-road motor-vehicles as a driving course, so that it could be properly enjoyed by local people and visitors.

The Chairman also explained that the Area Board had a young people’s budget of £4,059 allocated from Cabinet. He recommended that as there was already a dedicated budget for young people, this was topped up to £6,000 and the balance of £815 was returned into the general Area Board budget.

Chloe Harris-Alba was then asked to consider how the budget for young people would best be managed, for example via a participative budgeting event. The Chairman commented that this year it would be good for the funding to go to projects which involve and benefit the wider community.

Decision

The Area Board young people’s budget of £4,059 allocated from Cabinet would be topped up to £6,000 and Chloe Harris-Alba would consider how the budget would best be spent.  

The Chairman provided information on ongoing Wiltshire Council consultations on the Wiltshire Core Strategy, the 13-19 Commissioning Strategy for Youth Services and the new Council-wide street trading scheme, as included in the agenda pack. All information regarding the consultations taking place across the county was available from the Wiltshire Council consultation portal: http://consult.wiltshire.gov.uk/portal.   

The Chairman highlighted there would be a public exhibition regarding the Wiltshire Core Strategy document on Monday 18 July 2011 at Malmesbury Town Hall from 2.00 – 8.00 pm.  

The Chairman explained there was a late addition to the agenda regarding a Neighbourhood Planning Front Runners Proposal. Wiltshire Council was fully supportive of the aims of the Localism Bill to deliver a more collaborative and community led approach to plan making. Wiltshire Council had recently secured funding from CLG for two Neighbourhood Planning Front Runner projects, one at the Community Area level and a site specific proposal.

Interest had been expressed to undertake Neighbourhood Plans based around the settlements of Malmesbury and Sherston and for the Council to make two additional Front Runner applications.

Decision

The Area Board would submit the proposal for Neighbourhood Plans based around the settlements of Malmesbury and Sherston to Wiltshire Council for the Council to make two Front Runner applications for funding to the Government.

The Chairman thanked everyone and asked for those present to complete an electronic evaluation of the meeting. The next Area Board meeting would take place on Wednesday 7 September 2011 at 7.00 pm, with refreshments available from 6.30 pm, at Malmesbury School.